mark Got To Glow Gradual Self Tanner/Body Moisturizer

I'm all about the self tanner you may have noticed.  I like all kinds , gradual, full on deepening and ones that bronze and tan. It's equal opportunity tanning.

In the gradual department is one coming in July from Avon's  mark.  Called Got To Glow Gradual Glow Body Moisturizer  Lotion , this not only self tans but also has SPF 15.

I have the Light to Medium version and  when they  say gradual here , they mean it.   On my pale arms 2 applications yielded a tiny hint of color. But on my one week previously self tanned legs , the  color got a nice boost from 1 application of this. 

The formula is very thin , and lotion like, so it's super easy to blend ( just be careful not to squeeze out too much),  dries  fast, gives even color and has a nice, light floral scent and adds  a good bit of moisture too.

Available  from July in  Light to Medium and Medium to Dark   at http://www.meetmark.com/

Retail is $ 14.00

Sephora Favorites In The Glow Summer Set

Sephora's Favorites In The Glow is an LE set of summer goodies to make your skin look its best. It's also a great way to try out many new products at once.  The set includes Clarins self tanner ( some of the best self tanners you will ever use) and the bestselling and always selling out Boscia Black Mask.

The set is $ 35.00 ( retail value is $ 110, according to Sephora) and includes :


-0.3 oz Tarte Smooth Operator™ Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum

- 0.7 oz Clarins Delicious Self-Tanning Cream

- 0.5 oz Kate Sommerville® ExfoliKate®

- 1 oz Boscia Luminizing Black Mask

- 0.5 oz Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation SPF 30

- 0.5 oz Ole Henriksen Truth Serum™

- 0.17 oz Josie Maran Argan Oil

Sephora.com

Kate Somerville 360°™ Tanning Towelettes

Kate Somerville's Tan Towelettes have been one of those things we've all seen on QVC many times as a big seller. Maybe you've bought them , a  lot of people have. But not me. I now know the error of my ways.

I use self tanners a  lot, all summer really and into autumn. I have never really went much for the towel types  until I tried the Somerville ones. I got one of the most even tans and the longest lasting tan  ever. The self tan from these towelettes last easily twice as long as any other self tanner I've used.  The Mom, even more into self tanning than I, tried one, and said to me did you notice how long these last ? 

The towellette  itself is a good size and has a lot of product. You can easily cover all of you with one . I still made sure to really go over all areas and blend well with the towel overlapping any areas I thought might need it.  Drying time was pretty fast and there was very little self tan odor.  The tan was deep but not dark . Perfect for me as I want color, not just a tint.

These are a bit more pricey than many other self tanning lines out there but I have to say with the extra wear time it can be worth it. I plan to keep some handy  for those special occasion times  or trips.  A pre short vacation  use  would  mean your tan would last the whole  trip depending on how much time  you spent in water. But these are also very easily packed for a top up.


Besides QVC, Kate Somerville Tanning Towelettes are available at Available at http://www.katesomerville.com/ , select  Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Sephora, Space NK and Space NK UK

A box of  8 individual towelettes is $ 48.00 or on the brands website you can buy one for $ 6.00.

Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning for Face

 I' ve said many times ( including last year's post ) that Clarins is the gold standard of self tanners.  Many work well but none seem to give the even , streak free , naturally golden look of Clarins.  Last year was Delectable Self Tanning Mousse SPF 15, the year before -Delicious Self tanning Cream. Both amazing self tanners and among the best I've used.

This year 's addition is one for the face- Instant Smooth Self Tanning. It's very moisturizing yet not overly greasy, imparts a little bit of color on application, then gradually adds the self tan . It's not dark in any way ,just a little extra color and you can use as needed to get more and maintain. You don't need a lot and it has a rather nice scent . Eventually there's  a little "self tan" scent, but very little. This can easily be a multi tasker and used as your moisturizer .

A  key ingredient according to Clarins  is Acacia Micro Pearls, said to plump skin and  trap moisture.

 One thing to know- ingredients  include vegetable and sun flower  oil. So keep this in mind if you can't use oils on your face .

Available now  for $ 32.50 at all Clarins counters .

MAC Skinsheen Returns

One of my all time fav MAC products ( and there are a lot admittedly) is Skinsheen. I was disappointed to see it not re-released last year, but this year  it's back. Read my original review  here . Best news ? It's now  in permanent collection.

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Clear Self Tanning Gel

Spring is in the air ( well most days) and we are starting to throw off our winter  gear and show a little more skin. That means many things, one of which , at least over here, is that it's time to think self tanner.   I can bear to bare ( sorry I had to) my arms and legs in all their pale glory .

 Skin after winter cover needs to be prepped to come out of hiding. Last week when it hit 75 I saw way too many arms in cami tops and legs in shorts that just weren't ready for their debut. Some embrace their paleness, I'm not one of them. I love to be tan , but minus the sun.

 Self tanner is the answer and  the new year brings new releases with  L'Oreal bringing out an addition to their Sublime Bronze range- Clear Self Tanning Gel.

It's a spray gel, clear as it says, that gives you a light glow  in a few hours and more with each application. The bottle says to use daily until you get your desired tan . I can say that with one application, while it was just a hint of color, it was a definite improvement and noticeable. 

The gel dries fast but is easily blended and there's some, but not a lot of , self tan odor.  About 4 hours elapsed before I saw  any color. This is perfect for  starting your tan. You can gradually build color while also getting a decent amount with each use. It won't take that many uses to get a good tan.

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Clear Self Tanning Gel is in stores now.

Lierac Self Tanners

Lierac as well as making some top skincare also has a self tanning line. Two products are Autobronzant Hydratation Corps , a self tanning lotion for body and Bronzage Parfait Sans Soliel, a self tanning face gel.

The face gel is lightweight, non greasy and dries fast. It gives a subtle hint of of color after several hours. I am fairly pale and using this the first time I had a golden glow but it was just there, nothing too bronze or over done. In fact I would have been happy to have it darker. This makes it great for those us who are pale or someone who just wants to boost their skintone a bit.

The body lotion is a medium weight , moisturizing lotion that delivers a medium shade of color. Not as dark as many out there but a definite golden tan . The moisturizing properties make this especially nice if you have drier skin already. According to Lierac , this is also one to use to help prolong an existing tan and even it out.

All Lierac self tanners are available at select CVS stores and online at http://www.lierac-usa.com/

Autobronzant Hydratation Corps is $ 30.00 and Bronzage Parfait Sans Soliel for Face is $ 25.00

Lancome Flash Bronzer Tinted Self Tanner for Legs

Lancome has updated their Flash Bronzer line. At first this put a bit of a scare into those of us who loved the old versions. People like Lucky magazine's Jean Godfrey June , who often raves about this and who, like me, uses it on her face as well as legs. She recently wrote in Lucky that she now loves the new Body version even better.

I haven't tried the Body one yet but Flash Bronzer for Legs is still tops.

This one has shimmer in it, where Body doesn't. It's very moisturizing without being sticky and has very little self tanner "smell". It dries quite fast and is transfer resistant. This all makes it very easy to use. You can do a quick application and go.

So far I've used it 3 times and have had no streaks. I get a light medium shade on my legs that lasts for several days . It is tinted but the tint is light. You look a bit more golden but nothing overwhelming.

New also for the line this year is Flash Bronzer Anti -Age, a tinted anti-aging face self tanner with SPF 15. For those who don't want an extra step of anti-ager and then applying self tanner, this does it all.

All are available now online at http://www.lancome-usa.com/ or the counter nearest you.

Clarins Delectable Self Tanning Mousse SPF 15

In my opinion, Clarins is the gold standard of self tanners. I like many self tanners to be sure, and love to try new ones, but I always have the best success with Clarins.

Why? They streak the least , bordering on not at all and generally my skin just has a medium golden glow , never too dark, or fake looking.

The newest in Clarin's line is Delectable Self Tanning Mousse SPF 15.

This new formula is a soft mousse that applies so easily. I kind of like when formulas have some bronze tint to them but with this mousse, it's really hard to miss areas. There is very little scent, it's a fast blending and drying formula and adds some moisture to to your skin along with SPF15.

First application on my uber pale winter skin was a light color. No major bronze right off. In about 6 hours a light golden color began to appear. This first application gave me a slight, but still noticeable tan. I'll need a few coats to get bronzed but with self tanning, starting slow is not a bad thing.

The SPF is great. If you do your self tanning in the AM then head out, you don’t have to wonder how to SPF without thinning out the tanner. It’s a win- win.

Clarins Delectable Self Tanning Mousse is $ 42.00 for 4.1 oz
http://www.clarinsusa.com/

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tan Lotion

It may be September but it's still plenty warm and I am not about to give up on my tan. My self tan ,that is.

So I have been getting my bronze on with new Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion.

I have to say in the past L'Oreal self tanners had not impressed me. So when I got this newer one , I wasn't sure how good it would be. So I tried it, and it's really nice.

First off this gives you an immediate bronze tint, not dark but a decent bit of color and sparkle. There is shimmer in there, high shimmer. I like that but I know not everyone does. The tan appears after only a few hours and is a nice warm , deep golden tan. I got great depth of color in one app with no streaks.

This dries very fast , the self tanner smell is light to medium,not too bad at all . It is water resistant and transfer resistant. So you can get dressed quickly and not feel sticky.

This might be the best drugstore tanner I've tried. Nice to have an option to my higher end ones.

Luminesse Airbrush Tanning Home System

Luminesse is an at home airbrush self tanning system. Having had mine for awhile and been anxious to try it , I finally got to it this past weekend.

I love the idea of airbrushing at home and am a self tan fanatic. This is supposed to be easy and look great.

It only takes a minute to hook up the airbrush to the compressor and get it ready to go. Then once you're ready, you pull back on the stylus gently and the air and tanning solution starts spraying. It's a super fine spray and there is a bronzer in there to see where you've applied.

The key here is slow circles on the areas you're tanning. The first time I did it, (just my legs and arms ) I rushed and had a few overdone spots on my legs. My own fault. As I used it more I got better. Take your time, go slowly ,cover each area throughly but not too much and you end up with a great, natural tan. The company says 30 minutes for a full body tan. I figure at least 15 minutes for arms and legs is about right.

First you have the bronzer on as well as tanner, then after you wash off the bronzer, you're left with a nice medium tan. It's a very natural, normal tan. My tan is holding up well ( they say it will last up to 14 days). Drying time is about 10-15 mins. Pretty fast. For the tan to become it's full color takes a good 8-10 hours I think.

I used about 1/8- 1/4 of the bottle each time. Luminesse says that 1/3 to 1/2 bottle for initial tans, than 1/3 thereafter for full body tans.

Overall, I really like this. Lets face it, if you go for spray tans often, you are spending a lot. I'm not a spray tan girl, but I do go through plenty of self tanner . Also, it's always hard to do your back and shoulders well. This makes that a snap. So easy to get the all over tan. Plus I love how golden it looks. The color is perfect.

The Luminesse system sells for $ 129.00 and includes everything you see pictured above, including a carry case, so you can take in anywhere ( like to your girlfriends house for tanning parties ).

Visit http://www.luminesstan.com/ for more info